Job Hopper
Hi. I'm in the process of quitting another job. I have had 4 different jobs in the last 2 years. Two were internships for a counseling degree that I got my Masters in but decided not to pursue after I graduated. Following this I worked for 9 months as a Research Assistant where I was equally unhappy. I have been working in Research for about 5 years and realized I really wanted to focus on my writing. I recently got a job 4months ago as a copywriter. I loved it initially but the culture of the place was a horrible fit. I'm not sure what to do because I know this is affecting my resume and the way I will be perceived by future employers. At the same time, I cannot work at a place that doesn't feel right to me. What should I do?
You might be perceived as no position will make you happy. You need to find out. Many workers hate their jobs, but tolerate for the money and benefits. Quitting that many times might through a red flag, verse being laid off.
I think what you need to do is settle down and get some experience and success on that resume. It is too bad that you decided to switch away from your educational path, but that's fine. It happens. You do need to find some stability and quick. 4 jobs in 2 years is a lot of explaning to do in an interview. Granted, some of it is figuring out what you want to do, and that's okay. The fact that you obtained a copywriting job is interesting. If you haven't given careful thought to writing as a career choice, I suggest you do that soon. Writing is one of those romantic sounding career paths. But it is very competitive, not high paying (except in a few rare circumstances), and hard too get into. And, in reality, often not as romantic as it sounds. You need to determine if the culture of this workplace is representative of the industry or not. Which isn't to say that you shouldn't do it. Just that you need to go in eyes open, make it happen, and perhaps pay your dues somewhere to get the experience. And don't forget, that writing can be a big component of a lot of non-writing jobs, and that may be a direction to go as well. Ian Christie Career Changers Coach Assess what it is you truly want. You can work anywhere, take a retail job, or whatever, a part time gig, a freelancer gig in anything anywhere until you figure out what it is you want to do (taking the gig is if you need to pay rent in the meantime). You have a degree and have not yet found a job that compliments your degree. Ask yourself why you took a degree in this field, what is it that excites or interests you about it? Maybe teaching might be the clue. In the end, only you can determine what you will be happy in by taking an honest brutal assessment of yourself and what you want to do. Once you get an idea, then go for it -- talk to a career counselor, your old counselor in college, network in assocations/affiliations relating to your field of interest. Nowadays, it's not uncommon for one to have a degree in one thing and be in a totally different field. The degree is to get your foot in the door and not always at the entry level. There's nothing wrong or unusual to be trying out new jobs and finding yourself the first few years in the "real world". Don't panic and enjoy the ride.
I'm in a situation where I look like a job hopper, but it hasn't really been by my own choice. I have never had a position last more than one year in the last 8 years. I entered the workforce in 1997 with no skills whatsoever, so I took temp jobs to get them. I also went back to college and got my degree during that time, so I needed the flexibility. After I graduated, I got a great job as a proposal writer, but a year later the company had major cutbacks and I was laid off with about 50 other people. So it was back to the temp jobs. Then I got a job as a contract assistant. Not even a year later, they laid me off due to slow business. Back to temp jobs again. I then went into teaching through alternative certification. It was overwhelming, I was totally unprepared, and in the end I lost my certification because I failed the math section of the general knowledge test, mostly because there was too much for me to handle while trying to shore up my weak skills in algebra and geometry. So it was back to temp jobs, until last year when I got a job as an associate editor. It was the perfect job for me. Then my annual review was coming up and my editor wrote up an employee improvement plan, thinking that this would help me get a good review. Instead, the boss, who is arbitrary and who has a created a climate of distrust and paranoia in the company, decided to let me go against my editor's wishes. Well, so be it. It wasn't a good environment. The problem is that I look like an unstable employee even though I've tried very hard to find a stable position. How do I explain this to potential employers without it sounding like I'm the kind of person who blames all my problems on everyone else? I recently was asked by a potential employer why I had switched job. I told them it wasn't by choice and I haven't heard from them since. I have been out of work for a year now and I'm so frustrated that I'm seriously thinking about joining the Peace Corps!!
I got my BA in English and always wanted to be a writer but this is my first paid position as a copywriter. Previously, I was writing freelance articles and poems occasionally. I think this is the culture of this specific location. No one talks at all. People come in early in the morning, stay late in the evening and work weekends. There are only 2 writers where I work and the other writer hates it too. There isn't a lot of room for creativity as we are micromanaged a lot! This is a new position and the company is new too. There is a lot of chaos because my position isn't established and I feel very controlled. My boss wants to know exactly what I'm doing at every moment and calculates the time it takes me to write with the priority for me to write faster and faster. Most of the critiques I have been receiving have been negative. I hope this isn't common in the writing culture or for profit culture. I have the most experience in nonprofits. And honestly have had maybe over 10 jobs in less than 10 years. Here's the thing. People go into jobs like Copywriter or Corporate Graphic Artist thinking that they're going to get paid to be creative. In actual fact, you spend most of your time measuring to ensure that the corporate logo sits 2.456 inches from the top of the page or writing descriptions for the customer disclosure brochures and there is no creativity at all involved. You have to make some compromises. It isn't always possible to get paid (or get paid well) for the things you love to do. Sometimes you need to do those things you love on your own time, or accept that you will be poorly (or sporadically) paid for them. Work also isn't all fun and games. Granted, you shouldn't be miserable, but you may have unrealistic expectations about what you can expect to get out of a job, especially in the early days of your career. That leaves you with several choices. You can continue copywriting and other forms of professional corporate sort of writing (for a company or non-profit) with the knowledge that you will be required to produce certain quantity on a certain schedule using a specific format with little room for your creative side. You can work freelance and spend most of your time selling yourself for the next job but in between have great creative flashes. You can work for a non-profit or small business that will allow you more freedom but likely pay you a lot less. Or, you can get a day job that pays your rent and do your writing on the side. Whatever you decide to do however, you need to make this your last change of heart for at least 5 years. Your resume is a mess and you're dangerously close to working yourself into what we call "unemployable" or "under-employable". You've already invested a huge amount of money, time and effort into a Masters that you're totally wasting, don't make your future employability any worse by hop scotching from thing to thing. If you need to see a career counselor to get some help to figure out what you're suited for, then do that before you make your next move. Your alma mater should have one or check the phone book. Tess
I have to agree with Tess. Certainly there are very creative environments. But most Copywriting / Graphic / Ad work is mundane. Important certainly, but You have to look at it like a craft requiring precision, rather than a broad canvas that you get to create all over. The micro-managing may be that your boss isn't great. But a part of it may be that you haven't paid your dues yet. You aren't really a proven, professional, experienced copywriter yet, and until you work on 500 projects, you won't be. Until that time, having someone check your work and lean over your shoulder should be viewed as more the norm than the exception. Whatever you do, you need to settle and stick soon. What do you think? Ian Christie Career Changers Coach
I agree with the general consensus. But don't think I'm necessarily "messing up my resume." Most of my early jobs ended because they were on-campus positions and others because the company folded. I have seen a lot of career counselors. I was a counselor myself. I guess I still have to trust my instinct. This place was not the right place for me and when I work somewhere that I don't feel comfortable with it shows. I feel best at a place that cares about its employees. And this place did not care that we could smell toxic gas occasionally, valued people who worked late hours and weekends with low pay and that was when I decided it wasn't the right fit. I'm not sure I want to be a copywriter but if I did I would stick with it. Maybe I'm not career-oriented and think I'll just focus on writing freelance for now. Thanks for all the feedback! It is great that YOU don't think you're "messing up your resume". I can tell you however, that a hiring manager does think that. There is some allowance for jobs while in school, and some allowance for jobs right after that as you settle into what you want to do. This is the time however, to pick something to stick with for a while. Trust me, although I know it sounds harsh, I'm a very typical hiring manager. When I look at a resume, I first look to see if someone has (or even might have) the skills I want, then I look at- are they reliable and responsible? All hiring managers with any sense at all do this. All HR departments with any skill do this. Consciously or unconsciouly, we look at that point. You've crossed that point for many hiring managers and are dangerously close to crossing it for the majority, so give things some thought before you jump to the next thing unless you want to end up working in a call center or something with more churn than your resume reflects.
Tess | |
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